Not just a Childhood Crush
by MelonRinds
Summary: Arnold goes to Keesha and Ralphie for romantic help and relives a few moments from his past involving his long time crush. Oneshot.


**After a few failed attempts at another Carlos/Dorothy Ann fic, I got inspiration to do something with one of the other MSB couples I support. I feel they're the rather neglected canon pair so I felt I should contribute at least one fic to them on Fanfiction.**

**Disclaimer: A few scenes are based on episodes on the show and, of course, I don't own any of the characters.**

**Pairings: Wanda/Arnold, some Keesha/Ralphie**

**Enjoy!

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He hated adventure. Couldn't stand it. How anyone could possibly feel some sort of thrill from a situation that almost guaranteed certain death, he did not know. He was always worried something would go wrong, who could have fun with that? He liked it so much better when his feet were on solid ground, safe and sound, and he was in control of what was going to happen. Being within a few feet of an exploding volcano, being eaten by a tuna fish, or getting lost inside a flower might be the best thing that happens to some people, but it was just not for someone like him. It was a completely unneeded stress. Something that Arnold thought should have been so much easier to avoid. He hated adventure, and would do anything to live a quiet peaceful life away from it.

So then why was he head over heels for her?

He'd never have a peaceful moment with her around. He'd never be able to avoid the adventure. She'd make sure of that.

Then _why_ did his stomach have to contract tightly whenever he saw her, whenever she walked into a room. _Why_ did his face have to grow hot whenever he saw that long curtain of black hair play with the wind? _Why_ did his hands have to go all sweaty whenever she smiled at him?!

"Arnold - Arnold your blushing!" Keesha laughed. Arnold jumped, snatched away from him thoughts, and looked determinedly at the floor. He bit his lip and folded his hands together tightly. He was sitting in Ralphie's living room on one of the two olive green, squishy armchairs. Ralphie and Keesha were sitting next to each other on the couch, looking infuriatingly cosy together.

"No, no I'm n - "

"She's right Arnold.." Ralphie grinned. "I haven't seen you this red since... well, since you gave her that rock for Hanukkah... seriously, what were you thinking? Giving the girl you have an undying crush on a rock?!"

Keesha raised an eyebrow and looked at Ralphie, slightly amused, "And what, your smelly old baseball jersey was supposed to be romantic in some way?"

"I gave you that necklace the day after!" Ralphie defended. "You're wearing it right now!" he reached out and traced the jewelry around her neck.

"Only because I let you know how repulsive I found that shirt."

"Yeah well, it was supposed to be sentimental," Ralphie said, crossing his arms and slumping into the sofa.

"Next time, at least wash it first.." Keesha said. But then she smiled and leaned her head over onto his shoulder. "But you're learning." She lifted her head slightly so that their faces were level and kissed him on the cheek. Ralphie immediately looked less disgruntled.

"Next time," he said passionately, "Next time I'll buy you the whole jewelry store if you want." He grinned and returned the kiss on her lips. She laughed and brought her hands up to the side of his face.

"Ahem," Arnold cleared his throat awkwardly. "Umm.."

Keesha's eyes snapped open and she quickly pushed Ralphie back. "Ralphie! Arnold needs our help! You never know when to keep your hands to yourself.."

Ralphie just smirked, not removing his hand from Keesha's waist.

"Anyways.." Arnold said, his voice a bit scratchy. "I came to you guys for ... you know... advice. Because, well.. " his face was growing redder by the minute. "Well, you know how this stuff works better than anyone else I know well enough to want to ... talk to about this.. " He cleared his throat again.

"Arnold," Keesha said matter-of-factly, straightening up in her sitting position. "First, you need to tell us exactly what happened. Every little detail. What she looked like during the whole conversation and all that."

Arnold looked back down at the floor. It was so much easier to tell the story to his socks. Wait... He frowned and looked at them more closely. He hadn't even given them a second thought this morning. These were his favorite ones. He wiggled his toes. Not because of the pattern, not because they were anymore comfortable than his other socks, not because the kept his feet warmer than the other socks did, but because of how he had gotten them.

She had given them to him one Hanukkah. Black ones with thin yellow stripes patterned on them. She had given them to him with a rock. He knew when she'd given it to him that she had thought it was some sort of rare and special one. It wasn't really. Arnold already had a few of the same at home already, they could be found on the Granger Mountains and, that was probably where she picked it up. But he kept it separate with his rarer rocks anyway.

"Arnold?" Keesha asked. She was getting impatient; he had been silent for too long.

"It all started in her kitchen," Arnold started simply and carefully, suddenly wishing more than anything he hadn't come, and that he was back in his room, with his face buried in his pillow, not having to worry about this at all. But, he bit his lip, even if that were his situation, he knew she'd keep popping up in his mind. She always did when he was trying to sleep. What had happened that earlier that day would not chose to leave his memory anytime soon.

Arnold exhaled heavily and wondered what he should say next. "It all started when we were in her kitchen today."

"Spit it out," Ralphie grinned.

"Don't rush him Ralphie!" Keesha scolded. "But - uh -" she glanced at her watch. "I have dance in half an hour so..."

"You were in her kitchen and..." Ralphie said.

Arnold exhaled again. It had started in the kitchen - well, no, actually, it hadn't. It had started ages ago. Years back. He couldn't even remember exactly when. They had known each other since kindergarten. They didn't actually talk to often then though; he had always been rather quiet, and she had always been rather loud. But somehow, with their astonishing amount of differences, they had met and managed to become friends. Arnold could remember their first encounter as though it was yesterday..

"Ar - Arnold right?"

"Y - yes," Arnold had stuttered, surprised that she was actually talking to him, it didn't happen as often as he would have liked it to.

"Arnold, you're standing on my foot."

Yean it was stupid, and he knew she couldn't possibly have been as sore at him as his younger self had thought, but he avoided looking at her for the next two weeks.

Then, one Valentines day, their grade one teacher had taught them how to make little boxes perfect for holding Valentines cards from the rest of the class. Every student had to make one for each of the students. Most of them had 'Happy Valentines Day' scribbled in untidy first grader scrawl on them with red hearts as decoration. Most of the cards Arnold received looked like that, including the one he had gotten from Wanda. All of the cards Arnold had given out himself looked like that. Except the one to Wanda, where he had apologized for stepping on her foot back in Kindergarten.

She couldn't remember, but thought it was the funniest thing in the world that he did. They were friends after that, and became very close by the time the two of them were in the third grade. They did almost everything together, and Wanda never failed to always ask him a favor or two.

"Action Mountain? Me? Wanda I don't think - "

She had asked him to break a gum chewing record for two ride tickets. Why had she asked him? Why on earth had she asked _him_ to go on the fastest, scariest, best scream-your-lungs-out ride in the world with her?!

"I'd do it myself, but I got new fillings," she had said, not answering the question furiously trying to work it's way out of his head, "Come on Arnold, please do this for me."

Arnold bit his lip. He knew he'd end up disappointing her somehow if he agreed then. Whether it was failing to break the gum chewing record, or chickening out at the last minute and leaving her to go alone on the ride.

"You don't even have to go on the ride if you don't want to," Wanda had sighed. "Give your ticket to Ralphie or something."

"N - no.. I.." Arnold had known he would end up doing so anyway. Why didn't she want to win a prize that involved a free years pass to the geology museum or something? "I'll do it Wanda," he had said, however. "But - just don't be disappointed if... if I end up disappointing you..."

Then she grinned and at that moment, Arnold felt he would have ridden Action Mountain fifty times in a row if he could just be close to her.

Then there was the hot chocolate incident. His favorite drink by far, only made better by the fact he could enjoy it at school with his friends. Or one in particular. Yeah right, so he thought. As if Arnold Perlstein could ever be that lucky.

She was sitting with Harry Arm. Arnold had to blink twice to make sure what he was seeing was what was really happening. He had only been a few minutes behind her in the cafeteria line and someone gets there first and she lets them sit with her instead?

Slightly hurt, he had leaned over to her and asked, "I thought you were supposed to be saving me a seat.."

But she had just shrugged, sandwich in hand.

"Why don't we," he cleared his throat. "I mean, do you want to go sit over there," he pointed to the table in question. One with only two seats, so Harry Arm couldn't join them..

But she said it was too cold, so he drank his hot chocolate alone.

---

"I really like your rock Arnold."

"Er.. Thanks Wanda," he had said. Everyone of his close friends had said that to him one in their lifetime. Ralphie would always say it sarcastically; they all looked the same to him. Dorothy Ann wouldn't even look up from her book when he came to her with a new geode.

"No, I mean I _really_ like it."

And it was earnest. Arnold felt the heat creep up his face, and couldn't help the smile bursting to show.

---

Seventh grade was when she got her first boyfriend. John something. They were on the same baseball team and it was then that Arnold wished more than anything he wasinvolved in more sports.

It didn't last long though, only two weeks. Arnold was never one to know what to say in sensitive situations, and he had no idea how to handle an upset Wanda, so he just gave her his chocolate cupcake at lunch. She had hugged him in thanks.

---

"There's this new GRANITE exhibit," he had said nervously, his hand on the back on his head, grasping his curly orange hair tightly. "It's, it's supposed to be really - really cool and - " He'd have given anything for his face to turn back to it's original shade. "It's not as boring as you might be thinking..." He had added when she didn't reply.

She had been looking at him curiously, like she was studying him closely. "I wouldn't think it'd be boring," she's shrugged. "Who else is coming?"

"Just - " Arnold had taken a deep breath and shoved both his hands in his pockets so they would stop fidgeting. "You're the first one I've asked." That's when he'd suddenly felt like groaning and burying his face in his hands. It had been a mistake, he knew he wouldn't be able to do this.

"Sure," she had said. "I'd love to go with you, I'm not doing anything that night anyway." Then she had smiled, and his heart had lifted.

---

"Wanda!" he was yelling. Actually yelling. Well, he was frustrated; he was always frustrated with her. She was the complete opposite of him and she always seemed to have to remind him. "Wanda, forget whatever Jake Bordon did! Revenge isn't the answer! You can't sabotage his science project!"

"He called me a loud mouthed bitch, Arnold!" Wanda had retorted. "What would you do?!"

"I wouldn't do this! Please Wanda, just calm down. You'll regret it later!" he tried to tell her.

But she didn't listen.

"If you do this, well then maybe's he's right!" Arnold shouted. He regretted his words almost immediately after he had spoken them. The way she was looking at him made him wish he could just sink into a hole in the ground.

"Never speak to me again!" was all she said through gritted teeth.

But she did the next day. She always did. A silent contest was the one thing she could never win.

---

They were in his kitchen. Just the two of them.

They were supposed to be studying for math. Even though neither of them knew much about the current unit. They didn't get down to solving one single math equation, but neither of them expected to anyway. If you actually did want to get some studying done, you'd ask Dorothy Ann and no one else.

So then they were in her kitchen. Two math books, and many scrap sheets of paper spread out over the table. Wanda had been tracing the holes in the margin of her homework with a pencil. His owns eyes were skimming the text and numbers of his textbook, not taking a word in of the new concept it was trying to teach him.

"So Michael Jones asked me out today," she had said mildly.

Arnold, who had just been taking a sip of water Wanda had offered him after he had refused the soda, choked and spat it out on his homework.

Wanda raised one eyebrow and studied him carefully.

Arnold coughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "He - he did? Why?" he asked, not really thinking properly anymore. He suddenly felt like smacking himself.

"Why?" Wanda asked, her voice a bit harsher than it had been before. "Why?! Are you serious Arnold. Because he _likes_ me maybe. Do you find it surprising that someone actually _does_ like me that way?"

"No, no, of course not!" Arnold said hastily. "How could I? Everyone's after you!"

"Not even close Arnold.." she had said, still with a slightly angry tone. "Do you even want to know what I said to him?"

"Yes!" Arnold said quickly. "I do. You didn't - "

"I turned him down." Wanda stood up. "Do you want more water?"

"Oh, yes please. And .. good."

"Good?"

Arnold tried to loosen his collar; it felt very tight. "Good... good for you. He's bad for you."

"Is that the only reason you think it's good I turned him down?" she asked him, placing the full glass of water back on the kitchen table. She didn't sit down.

"There - there has to be another one? Wanda, he's worse than Harry Arm!"

Wanda drummed her fingers on the wood of the table absentmindedly, apparently carefully thinking of what to say next. "I'd hoped there would be another reason..." she said, looking at him carefully with her deep brown eyes.

Arnold blinked. It was too easy to get lost in them. "Another reason?"

Wanda sighed. "Fine, I'll just tell you this," she paused to look at her watch, "before I have to go to baseball practice."

Arnold, more to actually have something to do than anything else, stood up and leaned over a bit on the table so he could see her face better. Was - he swallowed - was that a blush?

"I like you Arnold," she said simply.

"T - thank you..?" Arnold was confused. He had expected something more. He'd known she'd liked him for ages. Of course she did, they wouldn't be friends if she didn't. "I like you too...?"

"No," she gave him a piercing look. "I mean I _really_ like you."

---

"We were in the kitchen," Arnold finally said aloud. He looked back down at his socks, and his red face pulled his mouth into the widest grin it could manage. "And she kissed me."

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**My first time trying something like this... I don't know if the transitions work or not.. but I had fun writing it :p**

**I'll be trying another Carlos/DA fic next, see if it works out for me.**

**Reviews are good :)**


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